When Machina finally lowered the hands covering her eyes, Alice spoke in a tone that was undeniably provocative.
"I mean, really. Isn't it a bit shallow to equate chest size with adult charm in the first place?"
"Ugh…"
"I believe true adult charm is found in the maternal inclusiveness that overflows from within. That is what defines a woman."
"…Hmph."
"Hey, you klutz. What’s with that smug, triumphant look on your face?"
Machina had looked wounded by the initial jab, but Alice’s follow-up remark seemed to give her a sudden burst of confidence. She wore a composed smirk as her eyes drifted meaningfully toward Alice’s chest.
The message behind that look was unmistakable. Alice stood up abruptly, a vein throbbing in her forehead.
"…I suppose this is what they call the 'composure of those who have,'" Machina added.
"I’ll have you know that you are firmly on the side of 'those who have not' as well. Honestly, I’m impressed you can be so conceited with a mere B-cup."
"Hmph. Even so, the difference between Alice and me is as clear as day. Besides, I don’t care about the size of a hunk of meat that isn't my child."
"…Shallow Vernal-sama, who is a Creator God just like you, is a D."
"…That… well, that’s a… a little bit of a concern."
"Hina-san, your precious child, is also a D."
"…I see. So… I’m not large-chested after all… Learning the truth… is so painful."
Machina had maintained her poise when the example was Lilia, who wasn't her child, but she couldn't ignore the facts regarding her friend Shallow Vernal or her child Hina. Her triumphant expression vanished instantly, and she slumped her shoulders in total defeat.
"Well, worrying about it won't change anything. Shall we get back to training?"
"Y-Yeah. You’re right! Charm isn't determined by chest size! Alright, I’m back! Let’s go!!"
"Your recovery speed is as ridiculous as ever…"
Machina’s mood shifted the moment Alice spoke. She beamed with a bright expression, and as Alice prepared to resume the session with a weary smile, she suddenly froze. Her face turned incredibly grave, as if a monumental realization had just struck her.
"…Alice?"
"…Machina, what did you just say?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"…'My beloved child will also come to love me someday.' That’s what you said, isn't it?"
"……"
"You are capable of objective thought, aren't you? If that’s the case, then what about your usual rampages? No, wait, something is wrong here. Why would someone as 'Omniscient and Omnipotent' as you be 'thwarted by Kuro-san with perfect timing' every single time? If you actually wanted to stop her, you could have done it a thousand different ways. And why 'The Beloved Child who Bares Their Fangs'? If you just wanted to shower him with love, wouldn't a child who doesn't bite back be much more convenient?…"
That was the contradiction Alice had finally spotted. If Machina’s words were taken at face value, it meant she was fully aware that Kaito did not currently love her.
Yet, as Eden, she never acted as if she knew that. More importantly, it was logically impossible for an omnipotent being to be accidentally intercepted by Kuromueina every time. Finally, there was the fundamental question: if her goal was truly to pour unconditional love upon her child, why did she specifically seek out one who would defy her?
And above all else…
"…It’s bizarre. Why didn't I notice any of this until now?"
The questions were glaring, yet even Alice, with her peerless intellect, hadn't questioned them until this very moment. When Alice turned to look at her in shock, she found Machina wearing a faint, troubled smile.
"…Ah, I really did mess up. Alice is right; I must be getting careless. I 'tampered' with the logic of Trinia so that no one could ever reach that conclusion… but I completely forgot that 'since this is my world, the effect doesn't apply.'"
"…Machina, you…"
"If you can, I’d prefer you didn't ask anything more. It isn't something I really want to talk about."
Machina’s wry smile was tinged with a deep sadness. It was a silent plea for Alice not to step any closer to the truth.
"…Well, I don’t intend to do anything my best friend Machina hates, but will you answer just one thing?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"…What is your 'true purpose'?"
"Keep this a secret, okay? I am—"
As Alice asked with a solemn face, Machina looked as though she had finally resigned herself and revealed her true intent.
"…Machina… you… no, 'you too'…"
"Don't look at me like that, Alice. It’s alright. I can already feel the results, after all."
"…Even knowing the number, 20 billion years is… it really is such a long time, isn't it?"
"…Yes. It was… a very long time."
Here, let us 'change the premise' for the third and final time—the most fundamental shift of all. By doing so, the truth about Machina, which has been so skillfully concealed, finally comes to light.
Even after 20 billion years, she had not lost her core. She had not forgotten the feelings she held when she first wished to become a God. However, 'nothing remained as it once was.'
Why did she call Kaito, the man who rejected her love, her 'Beloved Child'?
Why was she always thwarted by Kuromueina at the most exquisite, perfectly timed moments?
Why did she possess Paradise—an avatar nearly equal to Kuromueina—and the power of Omniscience, yet suffer defeat at Kuromueina’s hands every single time?
The answer is revealed through a single premise that contradicts everything established so far: 'Machina is aware that her own love is distorted.'
She had realized it long ago. Her affection, once pure, had swelled over the eons until it became something bloated and 'infused with madness.' If a single gear is warped, the entire machine is affected.
She often said, 'I love Kaito.' However, she never said, 'Kaito loves Eden.' In those moments, she always fell back on scripted phrases like 'A child should love their mother.'
Furthermore, if one looked closely, they would see that despite the sheer scale of her love, her 'method of expressing it was entirely one-pattern.' She would speak of her love from start to finish, recounting how much she loved him and what she would do for him. Her expressions of affection were almost exclusively limited to that.
As Alicia had once told her: 'Knowledge without experience is meaningless.'
She had never been loved, and she had never loved anyone else. Despite possessing a love of immeasurable size, Machina 'did not know how to convey it.' Even though she understood she was wrong, she could not find the correct way to express herself.
That was why, even while recognizing the distortion of her love, she could not fix it. There is no absolute manual for the shape of love. Perhaps because she possessed Omniscience, she felt the need to make her partner understand every single facet of her feelings. And every time, she would lose control of the brakes.
This was precisely why she was so fixated on Kaito.
Kaito would not accept her distorted, mad love. But he did not reject her entirely. He would accept what was reasonable and firmly deny what was not. More importantly, even when subjected to her overwhelming madness… 'he did not hate her.' He felt a bit of hesitation toward her, but if she invited him for tea, he would go. He would sit and talk with her.
Every time she spoke with Kaito, Machina felt—ever so slightly, gear by gear—that her distorted heart was being repaired.
To her, Kaito was her 'Beloved Child'… 'the long-awaited existence who would correct her mistakes, even if it meant baring his fangs at a God.'
A distorted Deus Ex Machina, possessing infinite love but no knowledge of how to use it, would always boast of her feelings. She would tell him how much she loved him and what she would provide—all while screaming in her heart, 'If my love is wrong, please tell me.'
A sorrowful machine god who had once been human but had 'never known love' would speak of her affection 'without realizing her true heart.' I love you this much. I love you from the bottom of my soul—so please, I beg of you—'Please love me.' She remained unaware that this was the true reason she felt so unfulfilled.
It may take an eternity for a love that has swelled and warped over 20 billion years to return to its proper shape. But someday, when Kaito can truly accept her love, see the heart hidden in her depths, and return that love in kind… the Deus Ex Machina may finally return to the pure girl she once was—to Just Machina.
Serious-senpai: "Being late to the party was a total disaster, but… isn't this great? It’s wonderful! This means Machina is the Last Boss of the second act, and the goal is to save her heart, which is broken in a totally different way than Alice’s was!!"
???: "No, you’re completely wrong. Apparently, there aren't any plans for a Serious Development. In fact, the next part is just Eden and Kaito-san flirting, followed by a 'Sugar Series' where he goes to the beach with all his lovers."
Serious-senpai: "Why?! You could totally pivot into something serious from this! Why give up now?! A lack of sugar? Who gives a damn!!"
???: "Even if the distortion gets fixed, the sheer scale of her love won't change. It’ll probably just turn from Yandere to super-lovestruck."